Bidvest Wits captain Thulani Hlatshwayo’s mentor Mike Ntombela has revealed that the defender is keen to stay on with his current employers going into the new season.

There has been a wave of speculation during the off-season linking Hlatshwayo with a move to a wounded Orlando Pirates, where he is seen as the solution in central defence.

However, the Buccaneers look set to be disappointed in their proposed pursuit of the Footballer of the Year nominee.

“He [Hlatshwayo] still has two more years to run on his contract with Wits and any club that wants him can always talk to Wits. What I know is that he wants to stay at Wits for now,” Ntombela tells KickOff.com.

“There is anything from my side and him. I was with him yesterday [on Monday] so there is nothing as yet which other clubs have said. Any clubs that wants him must talk to Wits because he belongs to Wits,” says the pint-sized star of yesteryear, who now runs the Mike Ntombela Sports Management company.

Hlatshwayo went under the guidance of Ntombela in his young years at Senaoane Gunners back home in Soweto before leaving for Ajax Cape Town in his mid-teens.

“I think he has grown. I never thought he will grow like that but has grown gradually and what I like about him is that he has moved from Ajax to Wits where he has fully grown yet still concentrating. I am very excited for him with the way he has grown,” adds Ntombela.

Hlatshwayo won the Absa Premiership Defender of the Season prize at the PSL awards on Monday night after having also won the Player of the Season and Players’ Player of the Season accolades at his club at the end of last month.

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